Apparatus for clamping and holding rails, &amp;c.



Patented July I8, I899.

C. B. VOYNOW. APPARATUS FOR CLAMPING AND HOLDING RAILS, &c.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

7-1: uxms PETERS cc. PHOYO-UTHO" WASHINGTON. n c

No. 629,053. Patented July 18, I899.

c. B. vuvuow. APPARATUS FOR CLAMPING AND HOLDING RAILS, &C-

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1899.)

4 Sheg'ts-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

4 SheetsSheet 3.

atented July !8, I899.

C. B. VUY NOW.

(Application filed Mar. 24, l899.|

T u M N m R EN-Q g W H m m m s N m K 6 a w& Q m m N@ N Mu W Q8 7 Q APPARATUS FOR CLAMPlNG AND HOLDING RAILS, &c.

(No Model.)

N0..629,053. Patented July l8, I899.

C. B. VOYNOW.

APPARATUS FOR CLAMFING AND HOLDING RAILS, 6m.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1899.; (No Mod l 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

a s 1 a 9 L i,

I tron,

APPARATUS FOR CLAMPING AND HOLDING RAILS, dc;

srncrrrca'rroiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,053, dated July 18, 189.

Application filed March 24, 1899. Serial No. 710,295. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CONSTANTINE B. Vov- NOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Clamping and Hold ing Rails or Parts Thereof During the Formation of Railway-Crossings or the Like,of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an apparatus whereby the rail parts of a crossing may be assembled together at required angles and gages and clamped in required position during the formation of said rail parts into a railway-crossing or the like; and in such connection it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of such an apparatus.

Heretofore in the formation of railwaycrossings ithas been necessary'to form for each crossing desired a separate flask or mold, and while the rail parts were in the mold there was nothing to support the parts during the operation of casting except the clay or sand forming the mold or flask. Again, where various degrees of angularity of crossing were required each diiferent angle had to beduplicated in the mold and the rail parts arranged with great care and much labor to correspond to the angle and without any assurance of the maintenance of such angle.

The principal objects of my present invention are, first, to provide an apparatus whereby the rail parts may be quickly assembled into required position and therein held until their meeting parts are cast together without the use of a pattern or mold; second, to provide in such an apparatus means whereby the rail parts may be adjusted with respect to the angle they are required to make with each other, and, third, to provide in such an apparatus means whereby said apparatus may be used for crossings irrespective of the gage of the road or distance between the parallel rails of each track. I v I My invention, stated in general terms, consists of an apparatus for holding and clam ping rail parts in the formation of crossings or the like when constructed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

Thenature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan view of an apparatus embodying main features of my invention, certain of the rail parts and portions of the apparatus being removed. Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3' is a top or plan view, enlarged, of the central portion of the apparatus, showing the rail parts supported by and clamped in the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a railway-crossing complete. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, enlarged, on the line at m of Fig. 1. Figs. (3 and 7 are cross-sectional views, still further enlarged, illustrating,respectively, the means for clamping the rail parts in the upper and lower frames of the apparatus. Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of an intersecting portion of the crossing, together with the molds for receiving the molten metal adapted to weld the rail parts/together, and, Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus consists of two frames (4 and b, the construction and arrangement of each of which are precisely the same, except that one frame I) rests above the other frame a. sists of two parallel girders or beams a, of inverted- U shape and resting with their flanges 0. upon a suitable support a The tops or crowns a of these girders a serve as the supports for the girders or beams 19, the flanges b whereof, with their supporting-plate, rest upon the said crowns a The crowns a of the girders Ct also serve as supports for the blocks d, which extend along the girders a to the points at which the girders b intersect or cross the girders 0.. These blocks cl are adapted to slide in grooves arranged longitudinally in the crown a of each girder a, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and the top d of each blockdis provided with a projection 61 corresponding to the depression e in the head e of a rail part c to thus form a firm supportfor the said rail part. The girders a are held in a position of parallelism by means of plates a and a, of which a projects from the sides of the girders a at or near their ends, while The frame a conthe other plate a projects from the sides at the central point of the apparatus. The plates a and a of one girder a slide in the corresponding plates 64 and a of the other girder a in such a manner that the girders may be shifted inward toward each other or outward away from each other to adapt,when desired, the apparatus for use in the formation of crossings for different gages of track. WVhen shifted, however, to the proper gage, the slide plates a and a are clamped to gether, for instance, by meansof bolts (L The plate a of one of the girders a is provided with a bracket a surrounding a central boss at, projecting upward from the bed a of the apparatus. The cross-girders b are provided in a similar manner with the end slide plates 1):" and central slide plates U, which are clamped together by bolts b and the plate I) of one girder b is provided with a bracket b swinging on the central boss a. The crown of each cross-girder b is adapted to support the bearing-blocks)", which correspond in detail to the bearing-blocks d of the girders a, with the exception that they are not so high, being only sufficient in height to bring their projections f and tops f into the same horizontal plane as are the projections d and tops (1 of the blocks (1. The respective heights of the two blocks d andf are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The two sets of girders a and Z) having been adjusted to required gage as explained with relation to girders ct, the angle which the crossing girder I) must make with regard to the base-girders a may be changed soas to permit the rail parts to be assembled in the formation of a crossing of required angularity in the following manner: To the outer flanges a of the girders a are secured the ends of two curved tracks 9, and upon each of these curved tracks g is adapted to be guided a bracket g, projecting from one of each set of end slidingplates b of the girders b. The two girders b are turned together about the boss at, the central slide-plates b formin g the pivotal connection between the girders band said boss, un-

til the desired angle of crossing is reached,

when the brackets g are clamped together to the curved rails g by means of set-screws g or inany other preferred manner.

The frames co and I) having been adjusted to required gage 'and'to required 'angularity, the rail parts 6 are now inserted and held as follows: The parts 6 are placed with the head 6 downward, so that the depression 6' in said head rests on the projections d and f of the blocks cl and f. Over the flat base 6 of the rail parts 6 is now placed a series of yokes 7a, through which yokes pass the bolts it, having hook-shaped ends 7& engaging openings on the sides of either of the two sets of girders. By advancing the nuts k on the bolts the yokes 7c tightly clamp the.

rail parts 6 down upon the blocksd and f. To clamp all the parts of the apparatus toget'her-that is, the frames at and b and the interposed rail parts e -a similar yoke m, bearing upon the rail parts at their ends, is used, as illustrated in Fig. 7. In this instance the bolts 70 of the yoke 76, which en'- gages in the sides of the lower girders a, are extended beyond the yoke 7c and engage the yoke m, which bears upon the base 6 of the end of the rail parts supported upon the upper girders Z). The ends of the rail parts 6 which meet at the crossing-points are illustrated as being cut away or beveled so as to leave an opening 19 and which, as shown, is of oblong shape; but it is'to be understood that said openings may be dispensed with, and likewise the steel blocks, without departing from the spirit of my invention. In these openings a steel block 19 (see Fig. 4) is adapted to be welded. To weld the rail parts and the inclosed steel block 19 together a mold s is formed around the intersecting points, as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. This mold 3 may consist of green sand, a baked-claycore,

ora pattern made of cast-iron and is provided with an opening 8, through which themolten metal is poured to form the locking parts 0. Inasmuch as the intersecting rail parts do not closely abut, crevices or channels are left for the metal to run into the corners and angles of the intersections, and thus closely to bind or weld the rail parts and block together. The respective locking parts 0* are also preferably united together in the following manner: In the web a of each intersectin g rail part a hole or opening is punched or otherwise formed to permit the molten metal to run through and form a connecting arm or bolt r, as illustrated in Fig. 9.

Having thus described the nature and ob jects of my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'is-

1. In an apparatus for forming railwaycrossings, two superposed frames, ea'ch'consisting of two parallel girdersor beams upon which the rail parts are adapted to be supported, said frames being pivotally connected so that they are adapted to cross each other at the required angle of the railway-crossin g, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In an apparatus for forming railwaycrossings, two superposed frames each consisting of two parallel girders or beams, upon which the rail parts are adapted to be sup ported, the girders of each frame being'adjustable with respect to each other so that the distance between the girders of each frame may be varied, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, two frames each composed of parallel girders, one'frame being arranged above the other and both frames constituting the support for the crossing rail parts, in combicat-r0555 the blocks, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, two superposed frames crossing each other at the required angle, and means for supporting the rail parts above each frame so that the heads of said rail parts lie in the same horizontal plane, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, two frames each consisting of two parallel girders adapted to receive and support the crossing rail parts, said frames being superposed, and means for turning one of said frames upon the other so that the frames may cross at a required angle, substantially as and for the purposes described.

ers, and independent means for clamping both sets of girders together, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OONSTANTINE B. VOYNOVV.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

